No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

"That's not what I meant. You're not like Xenia. We're siblings, and you're the most important to me," Frank said, coughing up blood.

Noelle sighed and handed him a tissue.

Frank smiled weakly. "I knew you still cared."

Noelle looked out the window, feeling nothing but ironic. In her past life, she had done everything to get her brothers' attention and to be seen and acknowledged.

She gave her all but never got what she wanted. Now that she had let go of that desire, Frank suddenly couldn't let go.

Humans really were pathetic like that.

When they arrived at the hospital, Frank was immediately taken for examination.

Just as Noelle was about to leave, a doctor stopped her. "You're his family, right? Please convince him to take his medication. If he doesn't, his condition could worsen and lead to stomach cancer." Noelle's expression remained cold. "If he doesn't care about his own health, who else can make that decision for him?"noveldrama

At that moment, Lucas stormed in with Xenia behind him. "Noelle, how can you say that? Frank ended up like this because of everything he's done for us."

Noelle tossed the medical report at Lucas. "Oh? You love preaching about responsibility. How did you not notice his condition getting worse? You see him every day."

Lucas was caught off guard. "I just didn't notice."

Noelle sneered, "Typical Lucas. Instead of making excuses, maybe convince him to go see a doctor."

With that, she walked out of the hospital.

Lucas seethed with anger. "She's getting more arrogant by the day."

Xenia felt frustrated, too. "Lucas, Noelle's a rising star at Firestorm Entertainment. She's riding high, especially with her gaming skills."

Lucas scoffed. "No matter how skilled she is, she's still part of the Liddell family. I've got her contract. If she pushes me too far, I'll make sure she never succeeds." Xenia's eyes lit up. "What contract?"

It seemed Noelle wasn't as untouchable as she thought.

"Where's Noelle?" Frank asked as he was wheeled out after his check-up.

"That ingrate just left," Lucas snapped. "Why are you still worried about her?"

Xenia came forward and asked, "Frank, are you alright? I was so

worried about you. Why didn't

tell us your condition was this bad?"

Frank smiled faintly but looked disappointed. "It's not a big deal."

He had hoped Noelle would stay.

Xenia saw the look in his eyes and felt uneasy. Despite her efforts, Frank's attention was still on Noelle.

At that moment, Frank's secretary,

Jordan Barkstone, hurried over. "Our partner is asking to terminate the

contract, Mr. Liddell. They say there's an issue with the firewall software we've developed.

Xenia frowned. "Can't the tech team fix it?"

"They've tried, but nothing's worked. That's why they're threatening to pull out."

Frank's smile faded. "Noelle was the one in charge."

He couldn't bring himself to ask Noelle for help, so he kept putting it off.

Lucas scoffed. "I don't believe that. I'll handle this for you, Frank. Don't worry."

Xenia's jealousy bubbled beneath the surface. She smiled and said, "If I

So how to help, I'd fix it for you, " O

Frank sighed. "I didn't realize how much I relied on Noelle until she was gone." Xenia's expression darkened. What about her? Did she mean nothing at all?